The Call of Duty League Kickoff Classic took place over the weekend but one key element was missing from the matches.
As soon as the first match began, fans immediately noticed that sniper rifles were not used by players. This included Search and Destroy, where snipers are most prevalent and make for exciting moments and strategy. However, not a single sniper was pulled out in S&D. The community was perplexed by this, but there is an answer.
Snipers no longer in use in the Call of Duty League
The use of a sniper rifle has been a staple in Search and Destroy, specifically since the early days of Call of Duty. Finding a long sightline or cross into a bomb site and holding it with a sniper provides an extra element to the gamemode. It makes players think about other strategies and adds another advantage to a team if they have a dominant sniper.
Naturally fans were looking forward to seeing some crazy plays with the weapon at the Kickoff Classic. Although, when the first day concluded and no sniper was seen, fans reacted on social media.
Totally understand why, but SND without snipes and smokes is a snooze
— OpTic TeeP (@TylerTeeP) January 24, 2021
Former player Tyler “TeePee” Polchow spoke out about the lack of snipers in S&D. However he also said that, without smokes, S&D is a “snooze.” The players of the CDL put both items on the gentleman’s agreement list, so every team agrees to not use them.
Smoke grenades are too dominant in Black Ops Cold War. You can’t see through them which turns them into a “one-way smoke.” Because of their power, players banned the smokes but also had to ban snipers. Essentially, snipers have no counter without a smoke grenade and were too powerful.
This is the first game that’s featured such strong smoke grenades, as Patrick “Aches” Price pointed out.
I don’t think so. Feel like everyone would’ve abused it, or people didn’t think about it cuz of thermal scopes
— OpTic TeeP (@TylerTeeP) January 24, 2021
Ultimately, fans were still disappointed to see no snipers in S&D. However, perhaps the rumored pre-made classes the CDL could implement will see the return of snipers. If this isn’t the case though, it’s unlikely snipers will be seen in the CDL until Treyarch nerfs smoke grenades.
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